Rugby World Cup final: Cheika hits out at spying snap

Michael Cheika was upset that an English paper published photos revealing his tactics. Photo / Getty

Wallaby coach Michael Cheika hit out at English media for being "disingenuous" after his Australian side lost the World Cup final to the All Blacks.

Any suggestions that a pre-final story in the London Daily Mail around Australia's secret game tactics to upset the All Blacks was an elaborate Cheika-inspired ruse to put the New Zealand side in two minds were banished at the press conference after the 34-17 defeat when the Australian coach rounded on the photographer who took shots of him and scrum coach Mario Ledesma at the team's final training session of the week.

The pair were pictured carrying notes of apparent tactics centered on upsetting Kieran Read, Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder.

Cheika tried to down play any suggestion the long lens of the photographer had unwittingly blown Australia's cover but admitted he was frustrated by the Daily Mail's decision to publish the pictures which quickly went around the world.

"What was in (the tactics), it's no biggie. It's not like there were any super tactics or anything like that," he said when asked about the spying saga.

"It was a little bit disingenuous, you let the situation in where you open yourself up and someone focuses on that. But that's the way it goes. What do you do? There's nothing to cry about. I think I'll cancel my subscription to the Daily Mail. I don't even know if I've got one."

Cheika was also upset that World Rugby turned down a request to allow the Wallaby coaches and support staff to join the players on the field at Twickenham for the national anthem ahead of kick-off.

"We wanted to go out and sing the national anthem with our team but World Rugby wouldn't let us," he said. "We were probably disappointed about that. But it's neither here nor there if that's the way it is. "